Africa: Life Expectancy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to increase life expectancy at birth in Africa.

Hilary Benn: DFID is working to increase life expectancy through a variety of activities including support for the provision of clean water and sanitation, large-scale immunisation and insecticide-treated bednets programmes and addressing related maternal mortality. Safe hygiene practice and improved access to clean water and sanitation are also vital for reducing child mortality. DFID produced the Water Action Plan in March 2004, and we will double our spending on water and sanitation to £95 million by 2007-08.
	In Nigeria we are providing £20 million to rebuild routine immunisation services and a further £80 million for malaria control. In Tanzania we continue to provide support for the social marketing of bednetsas part of the national Insecticide Treated Net Programme, and in Sierra Leone we are designing a new long term Child Survival and Maternal Health Programme with the World Bank and national partners. In Malawi we are contributing £100 million over six years to the government's essential health and human resource programme, and significant progress has been made on child survival through immunisation and malaria programmes. Similarly in Zambia we are major donors to the National Strategic Health Plan, which includes a focus on improving child health through expanded vaccination, curative care and improving access to services. In Kenya we are supporting a sector wide approach for the long term strengthening of the health system and improved service delivery. We have funded the development of a number of plans in human resources, procurement and financial management. We are also concentrating much support on the prevention of malaria, the major cause of mortality in children in Kenya. By the end of 2007 we will have spent more than £45 million on insecticide treated bednets and distributed £11 million nets,saving approximately 167,000 lives. DFID is indirectly supporting South Africa's efforts to reverse under-five mortality rates through the £30 million, five-year HIV/AIDS Multi-Sectoral Support Programme (MSP). Our support to the Maternal Child and Women Health Unit in the Department of Health supports research in the area of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT), the development of fertility options policy, and research on barriers to antiretroviral uptake among children and pregnant women.
	DFID continues to provide strong support tothe Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria (GFATM), and also played a central role in the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) which issued its first bonds in November 2006. This will disburse $4 billion over the next 10 years and is estimated will save 10 million lives, including five million children before 2015. DFID also recently pledged long term support to UNITAID, the International Drug Purchase Facility, starting with a £15 million contribution in 2007, to ensure poor countries benefit from lower prices for drugs to treat AIDS, TB and malaria.

Middle East: Economic Situation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary ofState for International Development what steps his Department is taking to improve economic conditions in the Middle East.

Hilary Benn: DFID is helping to improve the economic conditions in the Middle East in a number of ways:
	We are supporting the Iraqi Government in their economic reform efforts through a £13 million programme, providing technical advice on fiscal (including budget management and public financial management) and macroeconomic policy.
	We are providing £15 million to the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The TIM and other international assistance has helped to slow economic decline. The World Bank has highlighted the restrictions on movement and access of Palestinians as the biggest economic constraint, and the UK Government have made our concerns clear to the Israeli Government on this.
	As part of our Yemen programme of £12 million this year, we are investigating various ways in which we can support growth and jobs for poor people. We also focus on improving the efficiency of Government. We are supporting the Ministry of Finance to implement National Public Financial Management Reform. This includes support to budget development and management, procurement reform and auditing. Currently we have £1.1 million committed (2006-08) to this multi-donor Government programme, and are looking to expand over 2008-11 if opportunities to build on progress exist. At community level, the Social Fund for Development (SFD) is supporting small and micro enterprise development throughout the country to which DFID is providing approximately £800,000. DFID has over the past couple of years worked with the Government and other donors to harmonize donor assistance in Yemen in order to make it as effective as possible.
	At regional level, DFID supports economic reform across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region through contributions to the EC European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) which will provide €5.6 billion (approximately £3.8 billion) for 17 MENA and eastern European countriesfrom 2007-10. Approximately €1 billion (approximately£0.6 billion) of this will come from DFID's budget. The ENPI is designed to promote good governance and equitable social and economic development.
	DFID also directly supports the Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and partnership (FEMIP) which has loaned €2 billion (approximately £1.4 billion) to MENA countries to help them meet the challenges of economic and social modernisation and improve regional integration. DFID has provided €3 million (approximately £2 million) in grants to a technical trust fund which helps to ensure the FEMIP lending is effective.

Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary ofState for International Development what criteria his Department uses to evaluate the impact of UK aid.

Gareth Thomas: All DFID evaluations, which are carried out independently, follow the standard international approach by reporting against the evaluation criteria of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC), comprising relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.
	Further information can be found on the DFID website at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk/aboutdfid/performance/files/guidance-evaluation.pdf
	and on the OECD-DAC website at:
	www.oecd.org/dac/guidelines.

Uganda: Armed Conflict

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Government of Uganda on talks with the Lords Resistance Army.

Hilary Benn: I last met with President Museveni on 20 November 2006. During this meeting we discussed northern Uganda and President Museveni updated me on the peace talks that are taking place in Juba between the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army.
	DFID and Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff hold regular discussions with the Government of Uganda on a range of issues that include the talks with the Lord's Resistance Army. Most recently the British high commissioner to Uganda and the Head of the DFID Office in Uganda met with President Museveni on 10 May 2007. He reconfirmed his support for the Juba peace process. In all of our discussions with the Government of Uganda on northern Uganda we emphasise the importance of dialogue as essential to resolving the conflict. The UK has provided £250,000 to a UN fund set up to support the talks and we have made it clear that we will do more if necessary.

Uganda: Internally Displaced Persons

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of Statefor International Development what estimate he has made of how many Acholi people  (a) died,  (b) were murdered and  (c) were raped in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: Accurate data on the number of Acholi people who have been murdered are not available, although UN reports do suggest that incidents of violence in the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) affecting parts of northern Uganda have fallen dramatically since peace talks between the LRA and the Government of Uganda began in July 2006.
	Accurate data on the number of Acholi people who have been raped are also not available. Many women and girls do not come forward and say that they have been raped because of the stigma involved, and the practical problems associated with reporting such incidents. However the risk of sexual and gender based violence is high. As part of our humanitarian assistance, DFID has provided approximately £2 million to UNICEF and Save the Children over the last two financial years for their programmes to protect women and children in the North. Communities have also stressed the importance of a police presence in tackling issues of sexual and gender based violence. In response we are providing £700,000 from the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool funds in support of a plan to strengthen civilian policing in the North.
	DFID is working closely with the Governmentof Uganda and others to support the collection of accurate information in conflict-affected areas of northern Uganda, to fully understand the impact of the conflict, and to ensure that humanitarian assistance is targeted towards the greatest needs.
	In July 2005 DFID supported a Uganda Ministry of Health and World Health Organisation led survey that measured crude mortality rates in northern Uganda. This found that the crude mortality rate in northern Uganda was 1.54 deaths per 10,000 people per day. A crude mortality rate of over 1.0 per 10,000 a day is considered an emergency. As a direct response we have provided over £37 million in humanitarian assistance over the last two years, including £9.6 million in support of a UN programme aimed at tackling some of the main causes of death, including malaria, diarrhoea and respiratory tract infection. There is strong anecdotal evidence that mortality has fallen but a repeat survey will be carried out before the end of the year to check that this is the case.

Members: Correspondence

Susan Kramer: To ask the Leader of the House when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Richmond Park of 5 March 2007 on behalf of her constituent Mr GP Knight (reference PT/050307/KNIGHTGP).

Jack Straw: My office had no record of having received the hon. Members letter dated 5 March 2007 before it was brought to my attention. I have today replied to the letter. If such a situation arises in the future the hon. Member might want to phone my office in the first instance.

Film

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made with the MOT for film policy announced by the Minister for Culture in a speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research on 15 June 2005.

Shaun Woodward: DCMS is working closely with its strategic agency, the UK Film Council, to create a sustainable and successful film industry. The MOT for film policy was a document which suggested possible additional ways of doing this. The UK Film Council has recently launched its three year corporate planfor 2007-10, after extensive consultation. This plan incorporates many of the initiatives from the MOT, including a new Market Testing Fund, a Film Festivals Fund, and a Film Digitisation and Marketing Fund.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department will take to ensure that the principles enshrined in the 2012 Construction Commitments will be upheld in the awarding of construction contracts in the Olympic project.

Richard Caborn: The Olympic Delivery Authorityand partners are committed to promoting the 2012 Construction Commitments developed by the Strategic Forum for Construction, and this is clearly set out in its procurement policy.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the contribution of specialist contractors to the construction projects involved in the Olympic and Paralympic Games; and what representations she has received on the involvement of specialist contractors.

Richard Caborn: The construction of the Olympic Park, including the packaging and procurement of contracts, is the responsibility of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). Building the Olympic Park will require the contribution of a wide range of contractors, including specialist contractors. In order to keep potential suppliers updated of developments in the letting of contracts the ODA has organised a series of Industry Days, focusing on different aspects of the construction work, which are designed to both consult with key stakeholders within the industry on how contracts could be packaged and to keep them abreast of the procurement process.
	In accordance with the ODA's procurement policy and in the interests of maintaining fair and open competition, companies making representations directly to the ODA and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are redirected to the business section of the London 2012 website:
	www.london2012.com/business
	where they can register to receive updates about the Industry Days and developments in the procurementof contracts. This service is open to all businesses throughout the UK.

Tote

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1833W, on the Tote, what discussions her Department has had with personnel from HM Treasury on the future of the Tote.

Richard Caborn: Officials regularly attend meetings as part of the process of policy development It is not normal practice of Government to disclose details of, or attendance at, such meetings. The Government remain in discussion with the consortium of racing interests and the staff and management of the Tote that has submitted an offer for the Tote's businesses.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department made an assessment of the potential for fiscal incentives to contribute to the promotion of responsible drinking prior to the 2007 Budget.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to theanswer he was given on 20 April 2007,  Official Report, column 866W.

Gift Aid

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the cost was to the public purseof administering Gift Aid in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to UK charities of administering Gift Aid claim returns in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 14 May 2007
	Gift Aid is one of a number of charitable reliefs and activities administered by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). HMRC does not distinguish the costs of processing Gift Aid from its other activities in relation to charities and charitable giving and does not have information available to identify the cost of processing Gift Aid by charities.
	However, the HMRC Charities business stream brings together most policy, technical and operational work in relation to charities for both direct and indirect taxes. The total operational cost of this business stream was £3,342,594 (2005-06) and £3,690,339 (2006-07). These figures include the paybill costs of staff, but exclude departmental overheads such as accommodation.

Members: Correspondence

David Wilshire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Paymaster General will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Spelthorne dated 26 February about a constituent's tax credits problem (Treasury reference PO REF: 4/29817/2007).

Stephen Timms: I have replied to the hon. Member

Migration

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of future net migration for the purpose of determining a long-term trend economic growth rate.

John Healey: HM Treasury's latest projection of migration and its contribution to trend growth are set out in "Trend Growth: new evidence and prospects", published alongside the 2006 Pre Budget Report(CM 6984).

Research and Development Tax Credit

Ben Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of tax relief wrongly claimed under the Research and Development Tax Credit Scheme; and whether he has set up a special unit to investigate abuses of the Scheme.

John Healey: Since the introduction of the relief in April 2000 no companies have been convicted of making fraudulent claims to relief.
	HMRC adopts a risk-based approach to the interventions it undertakes. As with other elements of companies' tax returns and computations, claims forR and D tax credits are subject to risk assessment procedures. Where significant risks are identified they are pursued through a variety of interventions one of which involves opening an inquiry into the company tax return or claim.
	In response to consultation HMRC opened seven specialist R and D units in November 2006. The units will improve the consistency of dealing with claims and their role is to encourage and help companies to make claims to R and D relief while ensuring that any instances of non-compliance are effectively and efficiently handled.

Housing: Standards

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) houses and  (b) flats built in (i) 2003, (ii) 2004, (iii) 2005 and (iv) 2006 were found subsequently to have significant building defects; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The construction of all new dwellings is subject to building control but as this is a fully devolved service under the Building Act 1984, no central records are kept of contraventions of building regulations.
	Non compliance with building regulations may result in the withholding of completion or final certificates, and possibly formal enforcement actionby the local authority for more serious breaches. In addition, the vast majority of new dwellings are covered by home warranties which provide mechanisms for defects to be remedied. Officials work closely with warranty providers to ensure that these are effective.

India

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Ministers in her Department have visited India in the last12 months; on how many occasions each Minister visited India; and what the length was of each visit.

Angela Smith: No Communities and Local Government Ministers have visited India in the last12 months.
	This Government publishes an annual list of Cabinet Ministers' travel overseas costing over £500 along with the total cost of all ministerial travel. Information for 2005-06 was published on 24 July 2006 and is available in the Library of the House. Information for 2006-07 will be published as soon as it is ready.
	All travel is in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Local Government Finance: Elderly

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will bring forward proposals to change the formula for grant allocation to local councils for older people to reflect changes in the numbers of elderly people aged over75 years and their increased social care needs.

Phil Woolas: We tested a wide range of indicators of social service need, including those relating to age and health, when developing the current formula. As a result, I am satisfied that the variables in the older people's formula adequately reflect relative social service need in different types of authority.
	The new formula is calculated using data on the number of people aged 65 and over resident in each area, and pensioners living alone, over 65s in receipt of pension credit and attendance allowance, pensioners who live in rented accommodation and those aged 90 and over in each area.
	We do expect to update the data we use in the relative needs formulae for the 2008-09 settlement, where possible. This will ensure that the calculations reflect changes in demographic and other trends in each local authority.

Railways: Fixed Penalties

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) fixed penalty notices and  (b) court summonses were issued by rail companies in the London area to passengers in the last 12 months.

Tom Harris: The Department for Transportdoes not collate this information, as the prosecutionof individuals is a matter for the train operators concerned, the British Transport police and the courts.

Armed Forces: Uganda

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution the UK Government made to the military capacity of the government of Uganda in each of the last five years.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 15 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 2297-98W, to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Clegg) which provides details of military training provided to the Ugandan Peoples Defence Force up to March 2006.
	Over the last year, a number of training activities intended to further improve the professionalism of Ugandan soldiers have been taking place. These have included attendance at the Royal College of Defence Studies, the Commissioning course at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and the Royal Engineers troop commanders and Explosive Ordnance Disposal courses. Briefing programmes have been delivered on peace support operations, border security and management and collective training. A similar programme will be delivered over the coming year, with an increasing emphasis on supporting Uganda's contribution to the embryonic African Standby Force Regional Standby Brigade.
	In addition, the Security Sector Development Advisory Team has, since 2002, been assisting Uganda to enhance good governance in defence by more effective management and policy direction. This programme, funded by the Department for International Development, has included assisting in producing a White Paper on Defence Transformation and support to development of a Defence Corporate Plan. Current engagement is directed towards support on improving governance of logistics resources.

Departments: Buildings

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Defence what the latest estimate is of the costof refurbishing his Department's headquarters in London.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 8 May 2007
	The physical refurbishment of the Department's main building cost £323 million (VAT exclusive) and has delivered a modern and efficient workspace capable of intensive use for the next 20 years and beyond.

Hercules Aircraft

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2007,  Official Report, column 925W, on Hercules aircraft, if he will take steps to ensure that Hercules aircraft being fitted with explosive suppressant foam are flown to flex the wings after the sealant is applied but before the foam is put in place.

Adam Ingram: The replacement of the fuel tank sealant is only undertaken on the Hercules C-130K aircraft. Flying the aircraft between fuel tank sealant replacement and fitting Explosion Suppressant Foam (ESF) would introduce unacceptable delays to this urgent programme. Therefore, quality assurance processes are used to ensure that it is not necessary to fly the Hercules C-130K aircraft after the fuel tank sealant has been replaced but before ESF is fitted.

Hercules Aircraft

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 21 March 2007,  Official Report, column 925W, on Hercules aircraft, how long it has taken for each Hercules aircraft being fitted with explosive suppressant foam to return to active service; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Hercules C-130K Explosion Suppressant Foam (ESF) modification takes approximately 44 days per aircraft to complete. The less complex Hercules C-130J modification takes approximately 16 days. The difference in time scale between the two marks of aircraft is due to the need to replace the fuel tank sealant on the older C-130K. In order to improve overall aircraft availability to the front line command, the ESF modification has been combined with scheduled maintenance wherever possible.

Land Mines: Bomb Disposal

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what initiatives his Department is undertaking to remove landmines and explosive remnants of war; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 14 May 2007
	 The Ministry of Defence has three initiatives to remove landmines and explosive remnants of war. Thesethree projects are judged to be highly successful: the first involves 98 Explosive Ordnance Disposal and de-mining personnel for the Kosovo Protection Corps. The second is the Bosnian project, which on completion will have destroyed over 10,000 tons of ammunition. And the third is the International Mine Action and Training Centre in Kenya has trainedsome 3,800 African and International personnel in de-mining and associated skills. Wider initiatives by the UK, funded by DFID at £10 million per year are targeted at the world's poorest nations which have reduced casualties significantly.

Type 45 Destroyers

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has received any expressions of interest from foreign governments regarding the purchase of Type 45 destroyers.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has received no formal expressions of interest regarding the purchase of Type 45 destroyers. Information about the Type 45 has, however, been provided to other governments, when requested.

Children and Adoption Act 2006

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects the provisions relating to parenting in the Children and Adoption Act 2006 to be implemented.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Government expects that provisions in Part 1 of the Children and Adoption Act 2006 in relation to Family Assistance Orders and risk assessments will be implemented from October 2007. This timescale is subject to completion of necessary changes to the court rules, following consideration by the Family Proceedings Rule Committee. Shortly,the Government will be making a written ministerial statement (WMS), outlining the timetable for implementation of the remaining provisions in Part 1 of the Act.

Children's Centres

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the project to determine how health visitors can work more closely with children's centres; what funds were made available for the project; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Government have committed £7 million in 2006-07 and 2007-08 to pilot the Nurse Family Partnership initiative in 10 sites in England. This nurse-led intensive home visiting programme has been developed, refined and rigorously tested over30 years in the US and has resulted in impressive outcomes for vulnerable children and mothers. The programme will be delivered on the pilot sites by health visitors and midwives working within integrated services for children and families, linked to Sure Start children's centres.
	Evaluation of the pilot will inform the future commissioning of high intensity early intervention and prevention programmes, as part of the progressive universal model of child and family health. Evaluation will also examine short term impacts on maternal and child health and assess the role of practitionersand their skills requirements for such a model of intervention.

City Academies: Admissions

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what oversubscription admissions policies are employed by each academy.

Jim Knight: The oversubscription criteria for an academy are normally contained within its funding agreement, the contract between the Secretary of State and Academy Trust through which an academy is governed. All the funding agreements for open academies are freely available to the public online at the following web address;
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/foischeme/subPage/cfm?action=collections.displayCollection&i_collectionID=190
	However, where a number of academies are sponsored by the same individual or organisation, for example ARK or ULT, there may be a master funding agreement for this group, with a series of supplemental agreements setting out the particulars for each separate academy. In such cases, admissions arrangements will be contained within supplemental agreements.
	These supplemental agreements are also available at the web address provided above.
	All academies are bound by the admissions code, and as such may not select on academic ability in any way, and must prioritise applications from lookedafter children and those with statements of special educational needs.

Departments: Internet

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for which Government websites he is responsible; how many visitors each received in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the cost  (a) was of establishing and  (b) has been of maintaining each site.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department runs 25 main government websites (URL domains). In addition the Department operates a number of sub-sites falling under the main domains.
	There would be a disproportionate cost to provide the further information requested.
	The Department is working towards consolidation of all its websites. Public-facing content is being migrated to Directgov and business content to Businesslink.

Education: Per Capita Costs

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was allocated per capita by his Department to pupils in  (a) City of London,  (b) the London borough of Bexley and  (c) England in (i) 2005-06 and (ii) 2006-07; and what formula was used for such allocations.

Jim Knight: The per capita allocations for City of London, London borough of Bexley and England in 2005-06 and 2006-07 are set out as follows. Please note that it is wrong to compare funding per pupil in Bexley with City of London as the City of London:
	has the highest wage costs in the country;
	is the smallest authority in the country so is unable to take advantage of economies of scale; and
	draws its pupils from deprived backgrounds.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2005-06 EFS  2006-07 DSG 
			 England 3,580 3,642.99 
			 London borough of Bexley 3,510 3,719.15 
			 City of London 5,700 6,708.07 
			  Note: In 2005-06 local authority funding was based on Education Formula Spending (EPS) which formed the education part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The introduction of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded. In addition, DSG has a different coverage to EFS: EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's Local Government Finance Settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. 
		
	
	In 2005-06 school funding was part of the local government finance system. School funding was split into four blocks: primary; secondary; under fives; and high-cost pupils. The formula for each block included a basic amount per pupil with an area cost adjustment uplift. The primary, secondary and under five blocks also included an element for pupils with additional educational needs, defined as pupils with: English as an additional language/ethnicity; working families tax credit; and income support. The primary block also had an element to reflect sparsity.
	Each local authority's total Dedicated SchoolsGrant for 2006-07 was calculated by multiplying their full-time equivalent pupil numbers (aged 3-15) from the January 2006 pupil count by their Dedicated Schools Grant Guaranteed Unit of Funding (the Dedicated Schools Grant Guaranteed Unit of Funding is unchanged from that set in
	December 2005).
	The Dedicated Schools Grant Guaranteed Unit of Funding for 2006-07 was based on spend per pupil in 2005-06, with a basic increase of 5 per cent. per pupil (5.1 per cent. for London authorities) and headroom allocated to reflect five ministerial priorities. £30 million was also distributed between authorities who spent below the level of undamped Schools Formula Sending Share in 2005-06.

Home Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of children who are educated out of school in 2006-07.

Jim Knight: Holding answer 16 May 2007
	 Local authorities arrange for education out of school in pupil referral units and other settings. The DFES annual census shows that in January 2006 23,670 pupils were educated in pupil referral units. In addition, a further 12,750 received tuition at home, in community homes, at further education colleges, or with voluntary section providers.
	We do not collect information about the number of children whose education is arranged by their parents. A recent study on the prevalence of home education in England, conducted by York Consulting estimated that there were around 16,000 children being educated at home that were known to the local authority. Wehave not made any estimate of the number of home educated children that are not known to their local authority.

Mandarin: Curriculum

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with education providers on the teaching of Mandarin in schools.

Jim Knight: The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with education providers on the teachingof Mandarin in schools. The Languages Review, published in March 2007, proposed widening the range of languages taught in schools. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority have recently finished consulting on the revised Key Stage 3 languages curriculum. The consultation proposed removing the requirement that schools must first teach a European language to allow them to teach any major spoken world language, including Mandarin, depending on local need and circumstances. We are considering the potential implications of these changes for the school workforce.

Nursery Nurses

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people were employed as nursery nurses in the most recent period for which figures are available; how many unfilled nursery places there were in that period; what the balance was of provision between private and non-private nurseries; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: There are no figures available for the number of nursery nurses employed in the nursery sector. However, the Government's latest survey of nurseries carried out in 2005 (Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2005—Full Day Care Providers) showed that 104,800 paid staff, 80 per cent. of all paid staff, working in children's nurseries in England had a qualification relevant to working with children and young people.
	The 2005 Childcare and Early Year ProvidersSurvey also estimated that in summer 2005 there were approximately 88,400 vacant full day care places in England, 17 per cent. of all places; and that 60 per cent. of full day care provision in England was privately owned, with the remaining 40 per cent. split across the voluntary, local authority, school and other sectors.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what proportion of the money allocated to local authorities to provide the nursery education grant was passed to nursery providers in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  for what reasons nursery providers in different local authorities do not receive a uniform amount for the nursery education grant per child.

Beverley Hughes: Nursery education grant was phased out in 2001/02. Funding for the free entitlement to early education for three and four-year-olds is provided through general school funding.
	Estimated expenditure on Under 5s by local authorities in 2005-06, the latest year for which outturn data is available is £3,473 million.
	Local authorities—in consultation with their School Forums—are responsible for deciding how best to apply their total school and early years fundingacross all age groups and between different typesof provider, based on an assessment of local circumstances. Therefore it is a matter for each local authority to determine the levels of funding for providers in their area. The 2006 Code of Practice on the provision of free nursery education places for three and four-year-olds makes clear that local authorities should fund providers equitably, fairly and transparently.
	The Schools, Early Years and 14-16 Funding consultation which ends on 1 June sets out a number of proposals for changes to the way the early years funding system operates and can be accessed at:
	www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations

Schools: Playing Fields

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many disposals of school playing fields of areas of land greater than 0.2 hectares were proposed in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many general consents have been approved since the School Playing Fields Advisory Panel was set up; and under what conditions and circumstances general consents are approved for school playing fields;
	(3)  what average area in hectares of playing fields is owned by  (a) all schools,  (b) academies,  (c) specialist schools and  (d) specialist sports schools;
	(4)  how many of the planning applications for development of school playing fields were for improvements to the facilities in each of the last10 years;
	(5)  how many  (a) applications to develop and  (b) developments there have been of school playing fields in the last 10 years; and what the area in hectares was of each;
	(6)  how many applications for development on school playing fields have been made in the last 10 years, broken down by region.

Jim Knight: In the last 10 years the Department has received a total of 248 applications (109 of which in respect of closed schools) that involve the disposal of an area of land capable of forming a sports pitch of at least 0.2 hectares. Of the total received, 54 must be subsequently withdrawn, 16 are still under consideration, 176 have been approved and two were rejected. Of the approved applications, the sale proceeds were used to provide new or improved sports or educational facilities in every case.
	Since the School Playing Field Advisory Panel was set up, in July 2001, the Department has approved 1,076 general consent applications. The effect of a general consent is that, in certain circumstances, the specific prior consent of the Secretary of State is not required to dispose of school playing field land. Such circumstances include the disposal of an area of land to provide a facility as part of an extended school, such as childcare, lifelong learning etc.; the disposal of the ancillary social and recreational areas that surround the buildings of a closed school; certain disposals where playing fields remain as playing fields (for example a transfer to the district council); the exchange of one school playing field for a replacement newly-created school playing field of at least equal size, resulting is no net loss of facility; the disposal of areas of playing field under 50 square metres; and a temporary loss of school playing field.
	Data on school playing fields were supplied to the Department by local authorities in 2001 and 2003. However, because the data were incomplete, it is not possible to assess accurately the number and area of school playing fields.
	Education Ministers only have power to regulatethe disposal of school playing fields. They do not have any statutory powers to govern the future use or development of school playing fields. These are matters for local planning authorities to consider.

Science: Curriculum

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of20 April 2007,  Official Report, column 701W, on science: curriculum, for what reason specific mention of  (a) role of lung structure in gas exchange,  (b) tectonic processes,  (c) geomorphological processes,  (d) weather and climate,  (e) ecosystems,  (f) population distribution and change,  (g) the growth and development of settlements and  (h) specific properties of light and sound is no longer proposed to be included in the National Curriculum programmes of study.

Jim Knight: The changes in science and geography are in line with the remit that the Qualificationsand Curriculum Authority was given in February 2005 when it was asked to review the Key Stage 3 curriculum. Although some of the language in the draft programmes of study has been changed, the extent of the subject content remains the same. These changes have been made to ensure that pupils can progress from their Key Stage 2 understanding through Key Stage 3 to a point where they can progress to Key Stage 4.
	The following table covers the inclusion of the specific topics in the new Key Stage 3 programmes of study for science and geography.
	
		
			  Topic  Where it will be covered in the new Key Stage 3 science or geography programmesof study 
			  (a) role of lung structure in gas exchange Science—Range and content—Organisms, behaviour and health bullet 1 (respiration is a life 
			  (b) tectonic processes process) Geography—pupils to learn about how human and physical processes shape places, landscapes and societies 
			  (c) geomorphological processes Science—New section in Range and content—The environment Earth and Universe 
			  Geography—pupils to learn about how human and physical processes shape places, landscapes and societies 
			  (d) weather and climate Geography—pupils to carry out studies that involve physical geography and physical Processes—this should include study of weather and climate. 
			  (e) ecosystems Science—New section in Range and content—The environment Earth and Universe 
			  Geography—pupils to learn about how human and physical processes shape places, landscapes and societies 
			  (f) population distribution and change Science—Some precursor work in new section in Range and content—The environment Earth and Universe 
			  Geography—pupils carry out studies that involve human geography, built and managed environments and human processes 
			  (g) the growth and development of settlements Geography—pupils to learn about how human and physical processes shape places, landscapes and societies 
			  (h) specific properties of light and sound Range and content—Energy, electricity and forces, explanatory text (the properties and behaviour of light and sound)

Secondary Education: Curriculum

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1575W, on secondary education: curriculum, 
	(1)  whether the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority prepared any  (a) systematic reviews and  (b) quantitative meta-analyses on the principles of effective teaching during the preparation of the secondary curriculum review;
	(2)  what evidence the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority used to base its decision to focus on explicit teaching of metacognitive strategies in the secondary curriculum review supporting documents;
	(3)  what quantitative effect size was identified for each of the principles of effective teaching by the review of research into effective teaching carried out in the preparation of the secondary curriculum review.

Jim Knight: As part of its ongoing remit to monitor the National Curriculum, QCA draws on research evidence about effective teaching from a wide range of sources. Analysis and evaluation of the principles of effective teaching developed by Ellis et al was not part of the curriculum review remit given to QCA, nor was this an explicit part of the process of developing the new curriculum.
	The National Curriculum is primarily aboutsetting out an entitlement to learning in terms of the knowledge, skills and understanding that forms the statutory part of a wider school curriculum. The National Curriculum does not prescribe specific approaches to pedagogy; it is for schools themselves to choose the teaching methodologies most appropriate for the material being taught and the needs of individual learners.

Secondary Education: Curriculum

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1575W, on secondary education: curriculum, what evidence the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has found to suggest that learning how to learn can be taught independently of subject content.

Jim Knight: The ability to reflect on learning and how to improve performance is an essential skill for life and work. This is why it continues to be an important element of the National Curriculum.
	Schools provide opportunities for young peopleto develop these skills through their approach to pedagogy and assessment, and particularly through their approach to assessment for learning. These opportunities can take place within subject contexts and beyond them.
	As part of its ongoing remit to monitor the National Curriculum, QCA draws on research evidence about effective teaching from a wide range of sources. Evidence for successful approaches to assessment for learning can be found on the DFES Standards Site at:
	http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/personalisedlearning/five/afl/.

Teachers

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many physics teachers there are in the maintained sector; and how many  (a) are under the age of (i) 40 and (ii) 30 years and  (b) have (A) A-level physics and (B) a degree in physics;
	(2)  how many chemistry teachers there are in the maintained sector; and how many  (a) are under the age of (i) 40 and (ii) 30 years and  (b) have (A) A-level chemistry and (B) a degree in chemistry;
	(3)  how many biology teachers there are in the maintained sector; and how many  (a) are under the age of (i) 40 and (ii) 30 years and  (b) have (A) A-level biology, (B) a degree in biology and (C) a degree in biological sciences;
	(4)  how many mathematics teachers there are in the maintained sector; and how many  (a) are under the age of (i) 40 and (ii) 30 years and  (b) have (A) A-level mathematics and (B) a degree in mathematics.

Jim Knight: In 2005 the Department commissioned research about mathematics and science teachers from the National Foundation for Education Research. The report, entitled 'Mathematics and Science in Secondary Schools: The Deployment of Teachers and Support Staff to Deliver the Curriculum', can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR708.pdf.
	The research included a survey of a representative sample of 40 per cent. of secondary schools in England. Projections were made of the total number of teachers in secondary schools in England delivering the mathematics and science curricula. The findings also included distributions of the teachers by age and by highest qualification in the subject being taught.
	 Mathematics
	The research found that there were an estimated 27,400 teachers teaching mathematics in secondary schools in England, of whom an estimated 21,100 were mathematics specialists(1) including 11,700 with a degree in mathematics. The following table shows the distribution of mathematics teachers in terms of their mathematics qualifications. The teachers are counted once against their highest qualification in mathematics. For example, if an individual holds a degree and a PGCE in maths, they are counted in the figures for "degree in maths"; if an individual holds a PGCE in maths but a degree in another subject, they are counted against "PGCE incorporating maths".
	(1) A "specialist" is defined as holding a degree in or incorporating maths, or having studied maths at initial teacher training.
	
		
			  Highest post-A-level qualification held by mathematics teachers in the sample 
			  Highest qualification in mathematics  Teachers of mathematics 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Degree in maths 1,335 42 
			 B.Sc or BA with QTS or B.Ed in maths 524 16 
			 Cert Ed incorporating maths 193 6 
			 PGCE incorporating maths 583 18 
			 Other post-A-level maths qualification 140 4 
			 A-Level maths 189 6 
			 No post-16 maths qualification 251 8 
			 No response 5 <1 
			
			 Total 3,220 100 
			 Due to rounding, percentages may not sum to 100 Source: NFER survey of teachers of mathematics, 2005. 
		
	
	The following table provides a breakdown of theage profile of mathematics teachers by their highest post-A-level qualification in maths.
	
		
			  Age range of mathematics teachers in the sample by their highest post-A-level qualification in maths 
			  Percentage 
			   Age 
			   Under 25  25 to 29  30 to 39  40 to 49  50 to 59  60+ 
			 Degree in maths 7 18 26 23 24 2 
			 B.Ed/QTS in maths 3 8 25 34 28 2 
			 Cert Ed in maths 0 0 0 14 80 6 
			 PGCE in maths 4 19 35 28 14 1 
			 Other post-A-level maths qualification 8 24 26 24 18 1 
			 No post-A-level maths qualification 3 8 17 29 42 <1 
			
			 Total 5 15 25 26 28 2 
			  Notes: 1. Base: 3,036 2. Due to rounding, percentages may not sum to 100.  Source: NFER survey of teachers of mathematics, 2005 
		
	
	 Science
	The research found that there were an estimated 31,000 teachers teaching science in secondary schools in England, of whom an estimated 28,800 were specialists(2) in science. This included an estimated 13,700 biology specialists, 7,900 chemistry specialists, 5,800 physics specialists and 1,400 other science specialists.
	The following table shows the breakdown of the samples of science teachers in terms of their qualifications in science. As before, individuals are shown against their highest qualification, so if an individual holds a degree in chemistry and a PGCE in science, they are included in the figures for "degree in chemistry". However, if an individual holds a first degree in biology followed by a masters degree in biochemistry they are counted in the "degree in biology" category as "school sciences" take priority.
	(2) A "specialist" is defined as holding a degree in or incorporating the relevant science, or having studied the relevant science at initial teacher training.
	
		
			  Highest post-A-level qualification held by science teachers in the sample 
			  Highest qualification in sciences  Teachers of science 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Degree in Biology 753 27 
			 Degree in Chemistry 440 16 
			 Degree in Physics 279 10 
			 Degree in general science 158 6 
			 Degree in other science 415 15 
			 B.Sc or BA with QTS or B.Ed in science 311 11 
			 Cert Ed incorporating science 109 4 
			 PGCE incorporating science 184 7 
			 Other post-A-level science qualification 49 2 
			 A-level science 29 1 
			 No post-16 science qualification 27 1 
			 No response 2 <1 
			
			 Total 2,756 100 
			  Note: Due to founding, percentages may not sum to 100.  Source: NFER survey of teachers of science, 2005. 
		
	
	The "degree in biology" category can be disaggregated further and the next table shows the proportion of teachers holding a biology-related degree.
	
		
			  Type of degree in biology held by science teachers whose highest post-A-level qualification in science was a degree in biology 
			  Type of degree  Teachers of science 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 BA/BSc Biology 340 12 
			 BA/BSc Biology related (e.g. botany, zoology) 278 10 
			 BA/BSc Biology and science related 72 3 
			 BA/BSc Biology and non-science related 28 1 
			 MA/MSc Biology 48 2 
			 MA/MSc Other science subject(1) 27 1 
			 DPhil/PhD Biology 40 1 
			 DPhil/PhD Other science subject 16 <1 
			
			 Total 753 27 
			 (1) "Other science subject" includes medical-related sciences, biochemistry, environmental science, etc—see section 6.3.5  Note: Multiple response question: respondents could give more than one degree, therefore percentages may not sum to 27.  Source: NFER surveys of science teachers, 2005. 
		
	
	The following table provides a breakdown of the age profile of science teachers by their highest post-A-level qualification in science.
	
		
			  Age range of science teachers by highest post-A-level qualification in science 
			  Percentage 
			  Age range  Degree in biology  Degree in chemistry  Degree in physics  Degree in general science  Degree in other science  B.Ed/QTS in science  PGCE in science  Cert Ed in science  All science teachers 
			 Under 25 6 5 8 3 7 7 4 0 6 
			 25-29 27 18 13 11 26 14 18 0 20 
			 30-39 29 31 26 23 32 16 34 1 27 
			 40-49 23 24 27 31 20 27 30 16 24 
			 50-59 15 21 24 30 14 32 15 77 22 
			 60+ <1 1 2 2 <1 4 0 6 1 
			   
			 Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			  Note: Base: 2,597 (results for "other post-A-level qualification" in science and "no post-A-level qualification" in science not shown)  Source: NFER survey of science teachers, 2005. 
		
	
	The Department has commissioned a 2007 Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Surveyand fieldwork was completed before Easter. The survey will provide more up to date information on the qualifications of teachers delivering all subjects in secondary schools. A report will be published during the summer.

Young People: Unemployment

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of young people in the London borough of Bexley were not in education, employment or training in each of the last 10 years.

Parmjit Dhanda: The following table gives the proportion of 16-18 year olds in the London borough of Bexley who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Figures for earlier years are not available.
	
		
			  Proportion of 16-18 year olds in London  b orough of Bexley not in education, employment or training 
			   Percentage NEET 
			 2004 7.8 
			 2005 8.2 
			 2006 6.9 
		
	
	These figures are drawn from the operational client management systems maintained the Connexions Service. They include 16-18 year olds known to the Connexions; young people who attended independent schools or were at school outside England may be excluded. The age relates to those of calendar year age 16-18 on the date of measurement. The figures are for the average percentage NEET between November and January each year.
	This MEET measure is that used for settingand monitoring local authority NEET targets. The definition differs from that used to measure the national departmental PSA NEET target. Along with not covering the entire population, the Connexions NEET measure excludes those on gap years, or in custody. The PSA measure is for academic rather than calendar age 16-18.

Direct Mail: Prosecutions

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Trade and Industry what powers the Information Commissioner has to curb irresponsible direct mailers; and if he will make a statement.

Vera Baird: I have been asked to reply.
	The Information Commissioner has regulatory powers to bring about compliance with the Data Protection Act. In serious cases involving direct mailing, the Commissioner has the power to issue an enforcement notice requiring an organisation or individual to take specified action to comply with the Act. Failure to comply with such a notice is a criminal offence.
	The Commissioner also has the ability to seek an enforcement order under the Enterprise Act 2002 in cases to require an organisation to cease conduct, which is harmful to consumers.

Nuclear Power: Research

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to support research into nuclear fusion.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK invests in fusion research through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Almost all UK fusion research currently takes place at UKAEA Culham, which will receive grant support from EPSRC of£95 million over the four years to 2007-08. This is in addition to the EU funding for the Joint European Torus and other activities at Culham, and the EU participation in the ITER project.

Australia: Whales

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Australian government on whaling.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no recent discussions with the Australian government on the subject of whaling.
	The UK and Australia share very similar views in their opposition to commercial whaling.
	The UK Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) discussed whaling with the Australian Alternate Commissioner, and others, at a meeting of like-minded anti-whaling countries in Washington in January. The UK Commissioner also held discussions with the Australian Commissioner bilaterally in London in December 2006, and then again in New York in May. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs officials continue to work closely with staff at the Australian high commission in London, and directly with the Australian IWC delegation, with whom we have an excellent working relationship. The UK and Australia will be represented at ministerial level during this year's IWC meeting in Anchorage on 28 to 31 May, during which the Ministers will hold regular discussions.

Iraq

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of the proportion of unspent funds in the Iraqi budget in each of the last three financial years.

Ian McCartney: The following table contains estimates of government of Iraq (GoI) planned and actual revenue and expenditure between 2004 and 2007 in millions of Iraqi Dinars. The financial year in Iraq runs on our calendar year. We do not hold accurate estimates for expenditure figures for 2004 as this marks the transition from the Coalition Provisional Authority to the Interim Iraqi government.
	
		
			   2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Budget estimate of revenues(1) 21,729,100 28,958,608 45,392,304 42,064,530 
			 Budget estimate of expenditures(2) n/a 35,981,168 50,963,161 51,727,468 
			 Estimate of final revenues(3) 26,595,000 36,655,000 49,265,000 n/a 
			 Estimate of final expenditures(4) n/a 29,130,000 38,922,000 n/a 
			 (1) Source: GoI budget. This excludes some items including grants from donors and some government operations including sale of State Owned Enterprises. (2) Source: GoI budget. This excludes some items including donor financed spending and subsidies in kind to state owned enterprises. (3) Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) published reports (4) Source: IMF published reports.

Iraq: Christianity

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on persecution of the Christian community in Iraq; and what estimate she has made of the number of Christians who have  (a) been displaced from their homes in Iraq and  (b) left Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: We monitor the situation of Iraq's Christian and other minority communities closely through our regular contacts with the Government of Iraq, Christian politicians and community representatives in Iraq and London. Most recently, on 10 May our embassy in Baghdad raised the issue of threats against Christians in the Dora district of Baghdad with the Iraqi Minister of Interior and encouraged the Iraqi government to take action.
	We remain deeply concerned about the impact of violence on all Iraqis and continue to press the Government of Iraq to improve security and support international efforts to care for those affected by violence. Since the beginning of 2007 we have allocated £10 million for the humanitarian effort co-ordinatedby the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and International Committee of the Red Cross. This brings our total humanitarian contribution in Iraq to over £125 million since 2003.
	While there are no comprehensive or reliable figures available on the number of Christians displaced orwho have left Iraq since 2003, the International Organisation for Migration estimates that 7-8 per cent. of people internally displaced in Iraq in 2006 were Christians.

Uganda: International Conferences

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost will be of the three-day Commonwealth meeting in Uganda in November 2007; how much will be met by  (a) her Department and  (b) other UK Government Departments; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The government of Uganda will meet overall costs of hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, which takes place in Kampala in November. The Government are not contributing to these costs. However, UK officials' and ministers' travel and accommodation costs will be met by their parent Departments.

UN Resolutions

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which states have not presented to the Security Council Committee a first report on steps they have taken or intend to take to implement resolution 1540 (2004).

Ian McCartney: As of 1 May, the following states had not submitted to the Security Council Committee, established pursuant to Resolution 1540, a first report on steps they had taken or intended to take to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1540: Afghanistan; Barbados; Bhutan; Botswana; Burundi; Cameroon; Cape Verde; Central African Republic; Chad; Comoros; Congo; Cote d'lvoire; Democratic People's Republic of Korea; Democratic Republicof the Congo; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Equatorial Guinea; Ethiopia; Fiji; Gabon; Gambia; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Haiti; Lesotho; Liberia; Madagascar; Malawi; Maldives; Mali; Mauritania; Mauritius; Micronesia (Federated States of); Mozambique; Nauru; Niger; Palau; Papua New Guinea; Rwanda; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; San Marino; Sao Tome and Principe; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Solomon Islands; Somalia; Sudan; Suriname; Swaziland; Timor-Leste; Togo; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.

UN Resolutions

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of UK reports to the Security Council Committee established pursuant to Resolution 1540 (2004).

Ian McCartney: The UK reports to the Security Council Committee established pursuant to Resolution 1540 (2004) will be placed in the Library of the House and a copy of the reports will be sent to the right hon. Member.

Home Detention Curfews

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  what the cost per prisoner was of the Home Detention Curfew scheme in each year since 1999;
	(2)  how many electronic tags were used as part of the Home Detention Curfew scheme in each year since 1999; and what the cost is of an individual electronic tag.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The current daily cost of monitoring a person on HOC is about £14. This and other financial data related to HDC can be found in paragraphs 1.14-1.16 of the National Audit Office report on Electronic Monitoring of February 2006 at:
	www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/05-06/0506800.pdf
	The cost per prisoner of operating the Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme in each year since 1999 has not been calculated centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	For information on the number of prisoners subject to electronic monitoring under HDC I refer thehon. Member to the reply given to him on 1 May 2007,  Official Report column 1582W. The exact number of tags used for this purpose is not calculated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The amount payable under the contracts for delivering the service is not broken down by individual tag or other equipment costs.

Parking: Fines

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many parking tickets were issued by postin each of the last 12 months; and how many suchfines entailed increased payments as a result of late payment.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data are not collected centrally to the details required.
	The penalty charge notices (PCNs) and fixed penalty notices (FPNs) collections held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform do not distinguish between obstruction, waiting and parking contraventions. Tickets issued by post are not identified.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice pursuant to her answer of 31 January 2007,  Official Report, column 367W, on prisons, what assessment she has made of the level of compliance of the requirements for fingerprinting at prison establishments; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Compensation

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice which five prison establishments spent the highest proportion of their budget on  (a) legal costs and  (b) compensation payments in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It is not possible to allocate legalcosts to individual compensation payments without reviewing individual files which could be done only at a disproportionate cost.
	Compensation payments are not met from establishment budgets but are funded from centrally held funds. The five prison with the highest costs as a proportion of their budget in each of the last five years are:
	 2006-07
	Northallerton
	Cardiff
	Blantyre House
	Dover
	Swansea
	 2005-06
	Dover
	Liverpool
	Swaleside
	Hewell Grange
	Wormwood Scrubs
	 2004-05
	Chelmsford
	Bedford
	Lancaster Castle
	Dorchester
	Haverigg
	 2003-04
	Wormwood Scrubs
	East Sutton Park
	Parkhurst
	Styal
	Exeter
	 2002-03
	Holloway
	Stafford
	Shrewsbury
	Wayland
	Lincoln

Privacy

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will take steps to introduce a requirement to produce privacy impact assessments when regulatory impact assessments are undertaken.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply
	Following a public consultation, on 2 April 2007 the Government announced the introduction of a new impact assessment (IA) process focused on improving the quality of the economic and other analysis underpinning policy-making.
	While the Government have no current plans to incorporate privacy impact assessments into the IA process, it will consider the appropriate way to assess these impacts as proposals arise. In addition, as policy makers are already asked to take account of the full range of economic, social and environmental costs and benefits of their proposals, it would be expected that where privacy issues have a material impact on assessing the costs and benefits of proposals, these would also be taken into account.
	Details of the new IA can be found at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/ria/index.asp.

Recycling

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what programmes his Department has developed aimed at promoting recycling by young people.

Ben Bradshaw: The Waste and Resources Action Programme runs school visits and events which encourage children to think about how waste is managed. Over 6,800 schools have registered under the Eco-Schools programme, and waste is often taught as part of wider sustainable development issues under the national curriculum.

Recycling

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the Local Government Association's proposal on permitting local authorities to provide incentives for residents who assist in raising recycling performance.

Ben Bradshaw: We have sympathy with local councils' request for more freedom to use incentives to encourage recycling. Where such scheme exist in other countries, recycling has increased and overall waste fallen, leading to a double environmental and cost benefit to householders.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether cattle tested for tuberculosis by a lay tester would have the necessary clearance for live export from the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 15 May 2007
	European Council Directive 64/432/EEC requires cattle more than six weeks old to have reacted negatively to an intradermal tuberculin test carried out during the30 days prior to export. Although technical staff employed by Animal Health have been recognised as 'approved tuberculosis testers', lay testers are not used for pre-export testing of cattle for tuberculosis (TB). This is in accordance with the Veterinary Surgery (Testing for TB in Bovines) Order 2005, and there are no plans to change this policy.

Departments: Environment Protection

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance he has provided to other Departments and agencies on the establishment of environmentally sustainable strategies for the Government estate in relation to (a) new buildings,  (b) retrofitting existing buildings,  (c) water use,  (d) land use and  (e) transport arrangements.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA provide guidance on sustainable operations on the Government estate, on the estates pages of the Government's sustainable development website:
	http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/government/estates/index.htm
	Additional guidance is provided by other parts of DEFRA and by other Government Departments:
	 (a) New  buildings
	 (b) Retrofitting  existing buildings
	Government guidance on public sector construction and property asset management includes sustainable development considerations. Both OGC's 'High Performing Property' programme and 'Common Minimum Standards for the Built Environment' documents reflect Government's environmental and sustainable development targets and standards. Departments are also mandated to work with the Carbon Trust, using their carbon management programme.
	www.ogc.gov.uk/better_asset_management_efficiency_in_property_asset_management.asp
	www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/Common_Minimum_Standards_PDF.pdf
	 (c) Water  use
	The following site includes a page covering environmental performance at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/envperform.htm.
	It links to guidance from governmental and non-governmental bodies, such as WaterWise, Envirowise, Market Transformation Programme and the "Quick Wins", giving details of water saving appliances and technologies.
	DEFRA have also issued sustainability guidance to public sector food procurers:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/guidance.htm.
	 (d) Land use
	DEFRA would expect Government Departments and agencies to reflect planning policy in developing their estate.
	 (e) Transport arrangements.
	DEFRA have set up a Civil Service Travel Group to identify Government travel practices, and to assist Departments to travel in a more sustainable way when doing business. It also aims to place sustainability at the heart of all Government travel procurement and contract management.

Floods: Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he last discussed with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government the allowing of house building on land prone to flooding.

Ian Pearson: My Department meets regularly with the Department for Communities and Local Government, at both ministerial and official level, to discuss a broad range of issues related to delivering sustainable communities and new housing growth. Most recently, the Government have published revised planning policy guidance on development and flood risk, Planning Policy Statement 25, which sets outclear guidelines for planning authorities to avoid inappropriate development in flood risk areas.

Hares

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received, and from whom, on the introduction of a closed season for the shooting of hares; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 15 May 2007
	My Department has received representations in support of this matter from several hon. Members on behalf of constituents, (including Mr. Rodney Hale, chairmanof the British Brown Hare Preservation Society), a petition signed by 505 members of the public, and letters from four further individuals.
	Brown hares are not protected by a close season in the UK. In part, this is because it is recognised that hares can cause serious agricultural damage, and farmers need the flexibility to address problems when they occur. But mainly it is because there is currently no evidence that the introduction of a close season would significantly enhance hare numbers. Hare numbers have declined throughout Europe despite protection with close seasons.
	The Hare Preservation Act 1892 forbids the sale of hares during the notional main breeding season of1 March to 31 July inclusive. This discourages farmers from shooting hares for commercial gain at this time, and aims to limit control during the breeding season to that necessary for crop protection.
	The current view of the Brown Hare Species Action Plan Steering Group is that habitat changes due to modern farming practices, rather than hunting or shooting, are the main cause of population decline in the brown hare. The steering group, which advises DEFRA on this species, has therefore not recommended the establishment of a close season. If there is any change to this advice then a case for new legislation to protect the brown hare would be considered.

Organic Food: Milk

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much organic milk was imported into the UK in each year between 2002 and 2006.

Barry Gardiner: The official overseas trade statistics do not separately identify organic milk.
	The Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCO) estimate 7 million litres of organic milk were imported into the UK in 2006-07 (published in the March 2007 Organic Milk Market Report). Earlier years are not available.
	It should be noted that OMSCOs estimate of organic milk imports may not be fully comparable, in terms of data capture and estimation methods, with the official overseas trade statistics on total liquid milk.

Pests

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what criteria were used to draw up the Environment Agency's list of the top 10 worst invasive pests;
	(2)  what assessment was made of the grey squirrel against the criteria used to draw up the Environment Agency's list of the top 10 worst invasive pests.

Barry Gardiner: The main criterion in drawing up the Environment Agency's (EA) list of the top 10 worst invasive pests was the impact that a particular non-native invasive species has on the EA's activities and responsibilities. In November 2005, a questionnaire survey asked all 26 of the EA's area teams to identify species that were having an impact and to rank the top 10 using a simple scoring system (one to 10). The overall top 10 list was derived from the aggregate scores across the EA as a whole.
	The grey squirrel does not impact on EA activities and responsibilities. Therefore, it did not feature inthe list.

Rural Development Programme: Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what account was taken by his Department of the guiding principles of the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain and England Implementation Group indicators in drawing up the draft Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely contribution of measures contained in the draft Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13 to meeting the targets for 2014 set out in the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain; and if he will make a statement;

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13 will support a range of existing Government priorities. In deciding how to use the programme, we have taken account of other mechanisms and sources of funding available to address our priorities, and of the responses to the consultation on the programme's priorities that ranlast year.
	The main focus of the programme will be environmental outcomes, in particular maintaining our commitment to Environmental Stewardship. The programme will also be used to help make agriculture and forestry more competitive and sustainable, and to enhance opportunities in rural areas.
	The programme will include a wide range of indicators which will be used to evaluate its success in contributing to strategies such as the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain.

Wheat: Imports

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much wheat was imported into the UK in each year between 2002 and 2006.

Barry Gardiner: The following table shows the volume of wheat imported into the UK for each year between 2002 and 2006 as published in Agriculture in the United Kingdom.
	
		
			  Thousand tonnes 
			   UK Imports of wheat 
			 2002 1368 
			 2003 985 
			 2004 784 
			 2005 1175 
			 2006 1162 
			  Note: 2006 data is provisional

Child Support Agency

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will examine thecase of Mark Albutt, reference 1039432336, and the demands being made by the Child Support Agency for payment of arrears.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Jos Jones:
	In reply to you recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is out of the country, I am responding with his authority.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he would examine the case of Mark Albutt reference 1039432336 and the demands being made by the Child Support Agency for payment of arrears.
	As the details about individual cases are confidential, I have written to you separately about this case.

Alcoholic Drinks: Crime

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders were found guilty of  (a) drunken and disorderly behaviour and  (b) drunken and aggravated behaviour in (i) England, (ii) Bury St. Edmunds constituency, (iii) Suffolk, (iv) Bedfordshire, (v) Cambridgeshire, (vi) Essex, (vii) Hertfordshire and (viii) Norfolk in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of defendants found guilty at all courts for simple and aggravated drunkenness offences in (i) England, (iii) Suffolk, (iv) Bedfordshire, (v) Cambridgeshire, (vi) Essex, (vii) Hertfordshire, (viii) Norfolk police force area, 1997-2005 can be viewed in the following table.
	In addition, under the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme, the police can issue a fixed penalty of £80 to a person for being drunk and disorderly. The number of PNDs issued for the offence are also included in the table.
	From the court proceedings database it is not possible to identify those offenders in the Bury St. Edmunds constituency, as the data are not collected at this level of detail.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for drunkenness simple and drunkenness aggravated offences in (i) England, (iii) Suffolk, (iv) Bedfordshire, (v) Cambridgeshire, (vi) Essex, (vii) Hertfordshire, (viii) Norfolk police force area,1997-2005( 1,)( )( 2) , and penalty notices for disorder issued in England and Wales, 2004 to 2006( 3) 
			  Force/area  1996  1997  199  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  Drunkenness, simple   
			 Bedfordshire 62 153 99 55 29 24 53 26 41 (4)— 
			 Cambridgeshire 40 35 40 48 53 51 69 48 52 (4)— 
			 Essex 200 185 140 125 99 44 11 15 6 (4)— 
			 Hertfordshire 20 47 59 38 29 18 19 18 14 (4)— 
			 Norfolk 65 71 70 61 68 66 77 48 46 (4)— 
			 Suffolk 109 92 99 72 54 61 64 87 32 (4)— 
			 England 3,333 3,710 3,134 2,579 2,424 2,201 1,999 1,674 1,436 (4)— 
			
			  Drunkenness, with aggravation   
			 Bedfordshire 145 186 199 163 161 170 188 101 73 (4)— 
			 Cambridgeshire 100 126 137 134 136 137 176 156 153 (4)— 
			 Essex 422 389 453 472 438 346 180 188 164 (4)— 
			 Hertfordshire 251 296 348 340 358 445 401 318 223 (4)— 
			 Norfolk 102 111 113 137 140 140 172 82 54 (4)— 
			 Suffolk 254 194 197 202 244 301 317 293 198 (4)— 
			 England 22,474 23,864 22,764 22,078 21,468 22,741 23,893 17,550 13,199 (4)— 
			
			  Penalty notices for disorder   
			  Bedfordshire   
			 Drunk and disorderly behaviour * * * * * * * 144 265 293 
			 Drunk in a highway * * * * * * * 13 43 14 
			
			  Cambridgeshire   
			 Drunk and disorderly behaviour * * * * * * * 189 357 260 
			 Drunk in a highway * * * * * * * 34 90 67 
			
			  Essex   
			 Drunk and disorderly behaviour * * * * * * * 714 634 859 
			 Drunk in a highway * * * * * * * 24 38 33 
			
			  Hertfordshire   
			 Drunk and disorderly behaviour * * * * * * * 208 319 207 
			 Drunk in a highway * * * * * * * 9 30 15 
			
			  Norfolk   
			 Drunk and disorderly behaviour * * * * * * * 79 93 88 
			 Drunk in a highway * * * * * * * 34 56 24 
			
			  Suffolk   
			 Drunk and disorderly behaviour * * * * * * * 267 377 345 
			 Drunk in a highway * * * * * * * 35 27 26 
			
			  England   
			 Drunk and disorderly behaviour * * * * * * * 25,591 34,896 39,774 
			 Drunk in a highway * * * * * * * 2,387 2,930 2,387 
			 * = figures not applicable, as penalty notices were not introduced until 2004. (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, police forces, and other agencies. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) 2006 PND (Penalty Notices for Disorder) data are provisional. (4) Court proceedings data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Fingerprints: EC Countries

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State forthe Home Department what assessment he has madeof proposals for a centralised EU database of fingerprints; what estimate has been made of the  (a) set up costs and  (b) annual running costs of the database; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The Government believe that cross-border information exchange is fundamental to the fight against organised crime and terrorism and has therefore supported various EU initiatives to improve the exchange of information between member states. This includes a proposal currently under negotiationto facilitate the electronic exchange of data on fingerprints, DNA and vehicle registration between member states, known as the Prüm Council Decision.
	The Government have doubts however about the need for a centralised EU fingerprint database as suggested by the European Commission in its Annual Policy Strategy Communication for 2008. In particular, the Government will be looking to the Commission for a clear assessment of what added value this would bring to the Prüm Council Decision.
	The European Commission has yet to present the detail of its proposal, without which the Government cannot undertake a cost assessment. However, the Government have estimated that the start up costs for implementation of the Prüm Council Decision would be around £31 million. This includes running costs for the first year, which would be around £2.5 million. The Government believe that this is justified by the practical benefits to be gained from the enhanced information sharing arrangements.

Offensive Weapons

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of knife crime offences in  (a) the Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Data from the Court Proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of persons found guilty for offences related to the illegal sale and marketing of knives, and to the possession of knives in a public place without good reason in the areas of  (a) South Tyneside,  (b) the North East government office region and England and Wales for the years requested are provided in the table.
	Data for the Jarrow constituency is not available as data broken down to constituency level are not collected centrally.
	Information for 2006 will be available in the autumn.
	
		
			  Number of persons found guilty at all courts for offences related to the illegal sale, marketing and possession of knives in selected areas and England and Wales, 1997-2005( 1,)( )( 2,)( )( 3) 
			  Area/region  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 South Tyneside magistrates court 6 11 14 6 21 23 12 22 36 
			 North East local government office region 134 162 180 185 230 316 317 360 376 
			 England and Wales(4) 3,363 3,808 3,543 3,531 4,326 5,306 5,346 5,827 6,025 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes data for offences related to the illegal possession, sale and marketing of knives. (4) Data excludes figures for West Mercia police force area for the offence of possession of a knife or bladed article on school premises, due to a reporting error for this offence at the courts in that area.

Police: Manpower

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of police officers left the police force in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: The available data are from 1997-98 onwards and are given in the following table. These data are taken from the Home Office Statistical Bulletin series "Police Service Strength, England and Wales" published annually containing data correct as at 31 March; the bulletins can be downloaded from the following link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbarchive.html
	
		
			  Police officer leavers from England and Wales forces from 1997-98 to 2005-06 
			   Officer leavers  Officer strength  Percentage leavers 
			 1997-98(1) 6,657 124,798 5.3 
			 1998-99(1) 6,104 123,841 4.9 
			 1999-2000(1) 5,948 121,956 4.9 
			 2000-01 (1) 5,849 123,313 4.7 
			 2001-02(1) 6,420 127,267 5.0 
			 2002-03(2) 7,783 132,509 5.9 
			 2003-04(2) 7,139 138,468 5.2 
			 2004-05(2) 7,367 141,059 5.2 
			 2005-06(2, 3) 8,773 141,523 6.2 
			 (1) Wastage comprises retirements, resignations, dismissals, deaths and transfers to police forces outside England and Wales. (2) Not comparable to previous wastage figures as data does not include transfers to other England and Wales forces and officers leaving after a period of secondment. (3) Over 1,000 police officers previously working with the National Crime Squad (NCS) and the National Criminal Intelligence Squad (NCIS) left their home force to join the Serious Organised Crime Agency when it vested on 1 April 2006.

Police: Training

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much each police authority in England and Wales spent on training  (a) police officers,  (b) police community support officers and  (c) special constables in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 15 May 2007
	Data on the annual cost of training for police officers, police community support officer and special constables is not centrally held.
	Funding for police training is largely a matter for individual chief constables and police authorities and is reviewed on an annual basis.

Vetting: Young People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many under-18-year-olds have had Criminal Records Bureau checks.

Joan Ryan: h olding answer 16 May 2007
	Sincethe Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) launched its Disclosure service in March 2002, 412,902 Disclosures have been issued to applicants under the age of 18.

Local Better Regulation Office

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what the budget is for the Local Better Regulation Office in each year between 2007 and 2012;
	(2)  how much her Department expects to spend on the establishment of the Local Better Regulation Office.

Patrick McFadden: The Local Better Regulation Office's (LBRO) key role will be to reduce burdens on business without compromising regulatory outcomes and working in partnership with local authorities, national regulators and departments to drive up the quality of local authority regulatory services. As a result of LBRO's activities the Government expect to see compliant businesses benefiting from a regulatory regime that is less burdensome, more consistent, more coordinated and better targeted.
	The Treasury has allocated the Cabinet Office£2.7 million for 2007-08; and provisionally £5.3 million for 2008-09; £4.4 million for 2009-10 and £4.4 million for 2010-11 to set up and fund the Local Better Regulation Office. The budget for 2011-12 has not yet been established.
	Expenditure establishing the Local Better Regulation Office (LBRO) is expected to be in the region of £325,000 (ex VAT).

Local Better Regulation Office

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Local Better Regulation Office will continue to operate after 2012.

Patrick McFadden: The Local Better Regulation Office's (LBRO) key role will be to reduce burdens on business without compromising regulatory outcomes and working in partnership with local authorities, national regulators and departments to drive up the quality of local authority regulatory services. As a result of LBRO's activities the Government expect to see compliant businesses benefiting from a regulatory regime that is less burdensome, more consistent, more coordinated and better targeted.
	It is anticipated that at some point in the future the LBRO's work will be complete. The Government proposals regarding the circumstances under which the LBRO might be dissolved is included in a consultation document for the Draft Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill the government published on 15 May 2007.

Cancer: Drugs

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretaryof State for Health what assessment she has madeof regional variations in England in the treatment of cancer, with particular reference to the prescribing of drugs; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 15 May 2007
	In June 2004, Professor Mike Richards, the National Cancer Director published 'Variations in usage of cancer drugs approved by NICE'. This report showed that a positive appraisal of a cancer drug by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) was usually followed by increased overall usage of that drug but that there was variation in usage of NICE approved drugs between cancer networks.
	In July 2006, Professor Richards published a follow-up report, 'Usage of cancer drugs approved by NICE', to confirm if the variations identified had been reduced. This report showed improvements with a continued increase in uptake of cancer drugs following a positive NICE appraisal (a 47 per cent. increase in cancer drug use since the last review) and a reduction in variation between cancer networks in usage of all NICE approved cancer drugs.
	Both these reports are available in the Library.

Departments: Press

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press briefings have been held by her Department since May 2005; what the subject of each press briefing was; and whether representatives of  (a) the  Daily Mail,  (b) the  Daily Express and  (c) the  Daily Telegraph were invited in each case.

Ivan Lewis: There have been 67 press briefings on a range of subjects since May 2005 and these are listed as follows. In each case, an operational note was sent to news organisations inviting them to the briefing. This includes representatives of the  Daily Telegraph,  Daily Mail and  Daily Express.
	
		
			   Subjects 
			 May 2005 Heart operations 
			  Launch of Care Record Guarantee 
			 June 2005 Briefing by Committee of Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment 
			  Press briefing on the launch of smoking consultation 
			  Latest MRSA rates published 
			  New NHS anti smoking ad campaign launched 
			  New era for NHS ambulance services 
			 July 2005 New statutory hygiene code and Legislative proposals for Action Health on Care Associated Infections In England 
			  New statutory hygiene code and inspection regime for NHS 
			  Chief Medical Officer publishes annual report 
			  vCJD and blood donation 
			 August 2005 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 
			 October 2005 New pay agreement for cleaners, caterers, and porters 
			  NHS Redress Bill 
			  Health Work and Wellbeing Strategy 
			  Revised contingency plans for pandemic flu 
			  Pandemic preparedness 
			  Your Health, Your Care, Your Say 
			  Health Bill 
			 November 2005 Faster drugs guidance for the NHS 
			  Proposals for a new role—Medical Care Practitioners (MCPs) 
			 December 2005 Publication of Chief Executives Report to the NHS 
			  Choice in the NHS 
			 January 2006 Community health and care services white paper 
			 February 2006 MRSA statistics 
			  Childhood immunisation programme 
			  Good Corporate Citizenship Self-assessment Model 
			 March 2007 Mental health legislation 
			  Pay Awards for NHS Staff 
			 April 2006 New dental contract 
			  Older peopled National Service Framework 
			  Mental Health Nursing 
			  Small Change Big Difference 
			 May 2006 Reconfiguration of Primary Care Trusts and Ambulance Trusts 
			 June 2006 Junior doctor training 
			  National Programme for IT in the NHS 
			  Investment in the new generation of community hospitals 
			  Seasonal flu vaccine 
			 July 2006 Cash boost for community hospitals 
			  Tackling hidden waiting lists 
			  Review of doctors' regulation 
			  Payment by Results 
			  Chief Medical Officer Publishes Fifth Annual Report 
			 August 2006 Reform plans for pathology services 
			 September 2006 New work programme to reduce the number of ineffective treatments in the NHS 
			  Seasonal flu vaccine 
			 October 2006 Health Challenge England 
			  Know Your Limits alcohol harm reduction campaign 
			  NHS efficiency 
			 November 2006 Sexual health campaign 
			  Mental health bill 
			  Future regulation of health and adult social care 
			  New Practice Based Commissioning Guidance 
			  GP patient survey 
			 December 2006 NHS chief executive to set out blueprint for 2007-08 
			  Revised law on assisted reproduction 
			  Electronic care record 
			  HOOK campaign 
			  18 week target 
			 January 2007 Seasonal flu vaccination 
			 February 2007 GP services 
			  Children's and maternity services 
			  Professional regulation white paper and response to 5th Shipman inquiry 
			  White paper on regulation of health professionals—pharmacy aspects 
			  New second hand smoke ad campaign 
			 March 2007 NHS pay awards

Food Standards Agency: Prosecutions

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the companies which have been prosecuted by the Food Standards Agency since 2001 in respect of which no further legal proceedings are active; what the reasons were for prosecution in each case; and what penalty was imposed.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 14 May 2007
	The following is a list of the companies that have been successfully prosecuted by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) since the end of 2001 in respect of which no further legal proceedings are active, the legislation under which the companies were prosecuted and the penalties which were imposed.
	
		
			  Convictions since 1 January 2002 following prosecutions brought by the FSA 
			  Date of hearing  Plant operator  Legislation  Fine (£)  Costs (£) 
			 28 January 2002 Harvey Ashworth (Manchester) Ltd.. Specified Risk Material Regulations 1997 500.00 500.00 
			 16 October 2002 Yorkshire Poultry Products Ltd. Food Safety Act 1990 6,000.00 2,705.15 
			 6 November 2002 Jack Brand Ltd. Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 4,000.00 11,043.00 
			 16 December 2002 J and B Fitton Ltd. Specified Risk Material Regulations 1997 4,000.00 4,900.00 
			 1 April 2003 Stockton Butchers Slaughtering Company Ltd. (a) Specified Risk Material Regulations 1997; (b) TSE (England) Regulations 2002 15,000.00 5,000.00 
			 17 April 2003 A and G Barber Ltd. (a) Specified Risk Material Regulations 1997; b) TSE (England) Regulations 2002 5,000.00 750.00 
			 15 July 2003 H Lyes and Son Ltd. (a) Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995;(b) Food Safety Act 1990 3,000.00 3,664.14 
			 1 September 2003 Kashmir Halal Meats Food Safety Act 1990 1,000.00 1,144.44 
			 18 September 2003 Woolley Bros. Ltd. Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 1,500.00 800.00 
			 9 October 2003 Frigoscandia Distribution Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 1,000.00 1,552.10 
			 10 December 2003 Kedassia Poultry Ltd. Food Safety Act 1990 1,000.00 2,559.17 
			 7 January 2004 A P Burlton (Farms) Ltd. Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 0.00 800.00 
			 9 February 2004 D J Andrews (Wholesale Meats) Ltd. (a) Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995; (b) Food Safety Act 1990 1,500.00 2,428.10 
			 23 February 2004 A and G Barber Ltd. Food Safety Act 1990 15,000.00 6,222.58 
			 3 March 2004 Yorkshire Poultry Products Ltd. Food Safety Act 1990 1,500.00 500.00 
			 29 March 2004 Yorkshire Poultry Products Ltd. Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 5,500.00 1,645.00 
			 18 May 2004 G Lawrence Wholesale Meat Company Ltd. Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 3,750.00 1,500.00 
			 20 May 2004 Woodhead Brothers Meat Company TSE (England) Regulations 2002 1,500.00 1,000.00 
			 21 May 2004 Al-Ummah Halal Poultry Ltd. Food Safety Act 1990 3,000.00 2,000.00 
			 22 June 2004 Gee and Webb Ltd. Food Safety Act 1990 26,000.00 4,494.48 
			 24 September 2004 Machin Yorkshire Lamb Ltd. Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 10,000.00 3,000.00 
			 6 December 2004 Al-Ummah Halal Poultry Ltd. Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 (1)— 890.50 
			 23 March 2005 Traditional Norfolk Poultry Ltd. Animal By-Product (Identification) Regulations 1995 1,000.00 5,377.16 
			 16 May 2005 Blackwell Fresh Poultry Ltd. (a) Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995;( b) Food Safety Act 1990 1,750.00 1,509.25 
			 20 May 2005 Kedassia Poultry Ltd. Food Safety Act 1990 2,250.00 0.00 
			 2 June 2005 Harvey Ashworth (Manchester) Ltd. TSE (England) Regulations 2002 750.00 750.00 
			 6 June 2005 Grove Smith (Turkeys) Ltd. (a) Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995;(b) Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 27,800.00 4,600.00 
			 29 June 2005 Yorkshire Poultry Products Ltd. Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 5,000.00 5,000.00 
			 1 September 2005 2 Sisters Premier Division Ltd. (a) Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995;(b) Minced Meat and Meat Preparations (Hygiene) Regulations 1995 17,000.00 8,834.90 
			 27 September 2005 Pak Poultry Products Ltd. (a) Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995; (b) Animal By-Product (Identification) Regulations 1995; (c) Food Safety Act 1990 2,000.00 1,347.45 
			 7 October 2005 Jackson's Wholesale Meat Suppliers Ltd. Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 900.00 150.00 
			 28 October 2005 NJG Halal Slaughtering Ltd. (a) Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995; (b) TSE (England) Regulations 2002 1,380.00 0.00 
			 7 November 2005 J H Lambert (Bungay) Ltd. (a) Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995; (b) Food Safety Act 1990 4,000.00 3,481.00 
			 29 November 2005 Worcester Wholesale Meat Company Ltd. Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 2,000.00 3,283.50 
			 14 February 2006 C E Partridge and Son Ltd. TSE (England) Regulations 2002 2,500.00 2,494.30 
			 14 February 2006 Harvey Ashworth (Manchester) Ltd. (a) Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995; (b) Food Safety Act 1990 3,000.00 2,500.00 
			 15 March 2006 Frank Bird (Poultry) Ltd. Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 2,500.00 7,197.95 
			 21 March 2006 Saleh Brothers (Poultry Processors) Ltd. Food Safety Act 1990 3,500.00 3,531.92 
			 13 April 2006 West Scottish Lamb Ltd. (a) Fresh Meat (Beef Controls) (No. 2) Regulations 1996; (b) Food Safety Act 1990 4,000.00 4,000.00 
			 24 May 2006 HCF Poultry Ltd. (a) Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995; (b) Animal By-Product (Identification) Regulations 1995 10,000.00 7,880.00 
			 12 June 2006 Oakland Farms Ltd. Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 (2)— 0.00 
			 14 August 2004 Pembrokeshire Meat Company Ltd. (a) Fresh Meat (Beef Controls) (No. 2) Regulations 1996; b) Animal By-Product (Identification) Regulations 1995 3,000.00 3,500.00 
			 31 August 2006 Leonard Ames (Ampthill) Ltd. Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 1,800.00 2,071.49 
			  Paul Flatman Ltd. Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 800.00 4,467.00 
			  West Devon Meat Ltd. Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 1,000.00 5,892.69 
			  Yorkshire Poultry Products Ltd. (a) Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995; (b) Animal By-Products (Identification) Regulations 1995; (c) Food Safety Act 1990 10,750.00 4,000.00 
			  L Grant (Meat Wholesale) Ltd. Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 1,000.00 1,000.00 
			  St Merryn Meat Ltd. TSE (Wales) Regulations 2002 2,000.00 3,055.00 
			  M Najib and Sons Ltd. TSE (England) Regulations 2002 3,500.00 5,100.00 
			  Coast and County Meat Supply Company Ltd. TSE (England) Regulations 2002 (3)— 3,140.00 
			  Gafoor Poultry Products Limited Food Safety Act 1990 7,000.00 3,500.00 
			  Spenborough Abattoir Limited (a) Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995; (b) Food Safety Act 1990 800.00 971.50 
			  A S Audhali Farm Gate Fresh Poultry Ltd. (a) Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995; (b) Food Safety Act 1990 15,000.00 5,632.00 
			  West Devon Meat Ltd. Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 2,000.00 3,000.00 
			 (1 )Three year conditional discharge. (2 )Absolute discharge. (3 )Conditional discharge.

General Practitioners: West Bromwich

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner surgeries in West Bromwich East constituency  (a) have and  (b) have not been refurbished since 1997.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not routinely collect data relating to refurbishments of general practitioner surgeries. Therefore, not all the data requested is available centrally.
	However, a data collection was set up to monitor performance against the targets to refurbish or replace up to 3,000 general practitioner premises and create 500 primary care centres by December 2004, as detailed in the NHS Plan (published in 2000). The relevant data from this collection is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of premises replaced  Number of premises substantially refurbished 
			  NHS organisation  2000-02( 2)  2003-05( 2)  2000-02( 2)  2003-05( 2) 
			 Sandwell Health Authority(1) 2 n/a 0 n/a 
			 Oldbury and Smethwick Primary Care Trust (PCT) n/a 2 n/a 1 
			 Rowley Regis and Tipton PCT n/a 0 n/a 2 
			 Wednesbury and West Bromwich PCT n/a 2 n/a 1 
			 (1) Sandwell health authority historically covered an area similar to that of the former Oldbury and Smethwick, Rowley Regis and Tipton, and Wednesbury and West Bromwich PCTs. (2) Financial years, April to March.  Source: DH central returns, SaFFR, LDPR

Medical Equipment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made with the consultation on stoma care and urology care services; how many  (a) individuals and  (b) organisations have responded; what account has been taken of the potential impact of change on users, with particular reference to proposals on the direct supply of appliances and ancilliary items; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The consultation regarding the arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances—and related services - to primary care is ongoing.
	Three consultation papers closed on 2 April 2007; these were:
	Arrangements for the reimbursement pricing of stoma and incontinence appliances under Part IX of the Drug Tariff;
	Arrangements for the remuneration of services relating to appliances within Part IX of the Drug Tariff; and
	Proposed Amendments to the Regulatory Terms of Service of Pharmacy and Appliance
	Contractors in relation to Dispensing Items Listed in Part IX of the Drug Tariff.
	The Department has received a significant levelof response to these consultations. The majority of these responses were submitted by industry, dispensing appliance contractors, pharmacy contractors, clinicians, patient groups and individual patients.
	As the consultation process is intended to enable interested parties to comment and put forward their points of view on departmental proposals and to provide information that may be relevant to final policy making decisions, the Department is considering all these responses very carefully.
	However, an overriding objective continues to be the maintenance and where appropriate the improvement of patient care. This includes the direct supply of items and ancillary services.

Midwives: Eastern Region

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwifery posts are vacant in each NHS trust in the east of England strategic health authority area; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The following table shows the three month vacancies for midwifery staff in the east of England strategic health authority (SHA) area by national health service, organisation, from the Information Centre for health and social care vacancies survey March 2006.
	
		
			   Three month vacancy rate  Three month vacancy number 
			 East of England SHA 1.4 25 
			 of which:   
			 Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 0.9 1 
			 Bedford Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 0 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton Community NHS Trust __ 0 
			 Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 3.1 4 
			 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust __ 0 
			 East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 1.9 3 
			 Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust 0.0 0 
			 Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust __ 0 
			 Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust 5.9 4 
			 Huntingdonshire Primary Care Trust * 0 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 0.0 0 
			 James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust 0.0 0 
			 Kings Lynn And Wisbech Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 0 
			 Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust 0.0 0 
			 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust 9.1 8 
			 Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust __ 0 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust 0.0 0 
			 North Essex Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust __ 0 
			 Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust __ 0 
			 Peterborough Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 1.0 1 
			 Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust 4.5 4 
			 South Essex Partnership NHS Trust __ 0 
			 Southend Hospital NHS Trust 0.0 0 
			 Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust __ 0 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 0 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 0 
			 Witham Braintree and Halstead Care Trust __ 0 
			  Notes: 1. Vacancy data is from the Vacancy Survey 2006 2. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2006. 3. Three month vacancies are vacancies which Trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (full time equivalents). 4. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post 5. Three month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the medical and dental and Non-Medical Workforce Censuses September 2005. 6. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place: * = figures where sum of staff in post (as at 30 September 2005) and vacancies (as at 31 March 2006) is less than 10. __ = zero. 7. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number. 8. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates. 9. Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of component part.  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care Vacancies Survey.  The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental and Non-Medical Workforce Censuses.